Kpetermeni Siakor
Sophomore, Class of 2015
After I completed St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in 2006, I returned to my home country, Liberia. But my passion for computers kept me from accepting anything less than a university with an excellent computer science program. This is how I came to Ashesi and I haven’t looked back since.
Ashesi is not only for the rich. Even though I am a foreign student, I pay the same tuition fees as Ghanaian students, and I also enjoy access to the financial aid program for needy students. In fact, I was recently awarded a Master Card Foundation Scholarship that covers my tuition, housing, food, and a stipend for the rest of my study here at Ashesi. I have many friends who, like me, benefit from various forms of scholarships and financial aid. The admissions office was interested not only in my WASSCE grades, but also in my leadership role in the computer club at Aquinas. It also did not matter whether I was a science, business, general arts, agriculture, or visual arts student at Aquinas; I am free to choose whichever degree program I want.
People at Ashesi don’t take themselves too seriously, especially the lecturers. The faculty-student relationship is cordial with mutual respect commanded by both sides. For example, it is not uncommon for students to have lunch with lecturers, staff, and even the university president. Ashesi’s small student size enables me to get to know all 155 of my year mates by name. Ashesi has an Honor Code system that allows us to trust each other. I can, for example, leave my laptop in a classroom and go to my room and back without fear that someone will steal it.
Academics in Ashesi is both fun and rigorous. Since chew, pour, pass, and forget does not work at Ashesi, all students are taught how to think and analyze throughout their time at Ashesi. There are many resources available to all students like the math, writing, and programming centers to help with students better understand those subjects. The professors and their assistants also have weekly office hours where I can meet them one-on-one for further explanations if I need any. We also have access to computer laboratories equipped with Internet access for further study.
Ashesi opens many doors. Since I came to Ashesi, I have been overwhelmed by the numerous opportunities open to you just be being a student. After one year at Ashesi, I have done an internship with Rancard Solutions, taught JSS 3 students preparing for the BECE, and met influential people from top institutions like Google, Microsoft, MIT, IBM, Swarthmore College, Harvard University, the World Bank, and General Electric. There are opportunities to travel abroad as an exchange student or with various clubs on campus.
The Ashesi experience is what you make it. Most activities at Ashesi are organized and run by students. The university administration trusts students to organize parties, run clubs, enforce the Honor Code, raise funds, run businesses, and more. The faculty is very supportive of student projects, for example, when I started working on building a campus social network, faculty members began to support me to make the project succeed. Without doubt, my analytical skills have been developed and I am learning to think quantitatively.
